Finding You Again
by DreamHawthorn
Summary: AU. It's been a year since Lily, James and the gang graduated from Hogwarts. Before going in different directions in their life James and Lily had become quite good friends, but does that mean they wont have feelings for each other? Let's see... Jily, some BlacKinnon (Sirius/Marlene) and Fralice (Frank/Alice). Reviews are appreciated!
1. Chapter 1, Finding You Again

I do not own any of the mentioned characters or the world of Harry Potter. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.

AU. It's been a year since Lily, James and the gang graduated from Hogwarts. Before going in different directions in their life James and Lily had become quite good friends, but does that mean they wont have feelings for each other? Let's see...

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**Finding You Again**

_Lily POV_

I look around the corner, certain to see hooded Death Eaters, but instead I catch a glimpse of something surprisingly familiar. Messy, black hair and glasses.

"James!" I shout, trying to wave without drawing to much attention, "_James_ _Potter_! By Merlin's underpants! It's you!" I start running towards him and practically jump into his arms.

"Blimey, Evan!" He smirks at me, clearly surprised, "Long time no see" I smile at him, and feel my heart starting to beat faster. Then suddenly I'm high up in the air, but before I have the time to curse my attacker, someone shouts.

"LILYKINS!"

"Sirius! Hi! Have you missed me?" I ask laughingly, when he (finally) lets me down again. He nods and gives me a big goofy grin.

"I've missed you too" I say, giving him a hug. "Things just aren't the same without my home-dog!"

Both James and Sirius laugh at my joke, and I feel that I just can't stop smiling stupidly. _'Merlin, I really have missed having them around'_ I think to myself.

Before any of us have the time to say something more, there is a loud _BOOM_ and a burst of glass fragments rain over us when a window is smashed over our heads. Sirius waves at me and I follow the boys when they run away from the building. I begin looking for Marlene McKinnon and Frank Longbottom, as I came here with them.

"So... What are you doing here, Lily? He asks me when we reach a safer place to hide, giving me one of his crooked smiles.

"Oh, you know, I'm trying hard not to be killed, so the same old" I say smirking at him. He snorts, but seems to understand that I'm not completely joking.

Suddenly I hear heavy panting and someone groaning, so I draw my wand, the same does James and Sirius. But it isn't Death Eaters this time either, it's Marlene, and she's dragging on a semi conscious Frank. I gasp, and hear Sirius cursing.

"Lily! Merlin, you have to help me! Some blasted moron hexed Frank, and I didn't want to leave him alone, but he's heavy. And I, and I..." Marlene trembled, and when both James and Sirius went to take Frank's weight from Marlene I quickly wrapped my arms around her, giving her a tight hug.

"I'm glad you're okay, Mar" I whispered in her ear, "Let's get out of here" I said to the others, and we disapparate.

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_James POV_

Sirius and I put Frank in the spare bedroom in our flat, while Lily tucks Marlene on the couch. As we appear in the doorway I see Lily sitting on a kitchen chair, looking exhausted.

"Lily, sweetheart, do you want to sleep here?" Sirius asks me softly, but she just shrugs.

"Thank you, but I really need to get home to my own apartment so I can shower and change clothes" she excuses herself with a small smile.

Sirius looks at me seriously, but nods and helps Lily up from the chair by taking her hand. He gives her a long hug, and I can only thin _'I want to be the one holding her'_. I can see Lily peaking over his shoulder, so I try smiling at her. Sirius releases Lily, but she almost falls, so he grabs her arms to secure her.

"Are you sure that you can get home safely?" he asks, she smiles and nods, but he continues, "I really think that Prongs here should follow you home. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you right?"

Lily laughs at him, but as she turns to me to say that it is not necessary, I look into her eyes trying to tell her that I wont take no for an answer. So she turns back to Sirius.

"All right, since Mar and Frank is staying here I guess I'll see you tomorrow" She says as she gives him a hug, "Good night, Sirius"

"Good night Lily-petal", Sirius says, as I offer Lily my arm.

When we arrive at her flat, Lily opens the door and steps in. When I stay outside she lifts an eyebrow and smiles tiredly.

"If you're not in a hurry to get back, you could come inside for a cup of tea or something" she suggest, but when she sees me hesitating she adds, "But I do understand if you are tired and want to go home."

I chuckle a little bit, but move inside. I close the door behind me, as she enters her small apartment. I look around and notice a small table, unwashed dishes, and piles of clothes.

"I'm really sorry for the mess, tea?" she says, as she flicks with her wand to remove the clothes.

"It's okay, I'm just surprised that you're such a slob" I laugh and she blushes, "But yes, tea would be nice."

She nods and begin warming up the kettle. I stand there, watching her moving around, taking out cups and tea. But as she starts walking to the sink, I stop her.

"Come on, it can wait. Sit down" I says, gesturing towards the empty chair. We both sit down sit down, and she seems to relax.

"It's been over a year since last time I saw you" I say, smiling, "It's way too long, and we've really missed you." she gives me a warm smile.

"Yeah, same here. How's Remus? And Peter?"

"They're well, Remus is still living in his parents' house, and Peter keeps him company. Sirius and I are living in Sirius's flat, which is actually fine." We continue talking about our whereabouts for the past year, and I learn that she is working at the Leaky Cauldron, and I tell her that both Sirius and I are up for Auror-training. We're having a nice time chatting, until she yawns.

"Merlin!" I exclaim, "You wanted to sleep, and here I am, keeping you awake!" she laughs at me.

"James, it's fine, I think it's nice talking to you after so long."

"Same to you too, Lils" I say warmly. But then I stand up, saying, "Well, I really should go now, so you can take a shower and get to bed."

She nods and gets up too, following me to the door. She hugs me, and I can feel myself melting.

"Thank you for following me home, James" she says, "I really have missed you so much."

I sigh into her hair, hugging her tighter. As I try to step away, she doesn't let go, and therefore we stand there a while, my arms locked around her waist, she on her tiptoes, her head by my collarbone. Then I feel her beginning to shake, a sob slips out of her and I hold her closely. Caressing her back with my right hand, I try to comfort her.

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_Lily POV_

I don't even know why I'm crying, but it feels so good when he holds me. When my tears dries up, I force myself to let go of him. He glances at me to make sure I'm okay. I try smiling, but it probably looks awful because James starts chuckling.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, Lily" he says, trying hard not to laugh. But then he stilled and looked at me, "Do you want me to stay with you for the night?"

I freeze, not knowing what to answer. Do I want him to stay? Yes. But why do I want him to stay? Because I simply need someone with me tonight? Or because I, despite my strong disapproval of his behaviour in school, am developing feelings for him? Pushing the thoughts away I meet his gaze.

"If it's not too much trouble for you, it would be nice not being alone since Marlene is at your place." I say tentatively. Nodding, James pushes me in front of him to show the way.

"I really need to take a shower, but you can just stay here or in the kitchen while I'm showering" I say, showing him my minimal living room. Before I enter the bathroom I turn to James saying "And please, don't destroy anything." He grins at me, promising to be as careful as a Marauder could be.

When I return from my shower, wet hair in a bun and a pyjama on, James is sitting on my sofa, half asleep. So I get him a pillow and a blanket and tuck him in, not much difference from tucking in Marlene. He sighs as his head rests upon the pillow.

"Thank you Lily" he says silently, "and I thought I was going to take care of you" he chuckles, and yawns.

"Good night, James" I whisper placing a kiss on his hair, "Thank you for staying"

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**A/N: Thank you for reading my first chapter! Tried hard not to make Lily and James OOC (out of character), but if you think they are, please comment it in a review.  
Hope you enjoyed reading!**

**DreamHawthorn**


	2. Chapter 2, By My Side

I do not own Harry Potter, or any other characters in this story. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling

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**By My Side**

Waking up and realising that the guy you've been in love with, for about three years, is sleeping on your couch is a special feeling. But as it doesn't make me feel uncomfortable, I crawl out of bed and head into my small kitchen to make breakfast. I open my door quietly, not wanting to wake him up, but as I peek out I can see that he's already awake.

"Hi there, sleepyhead" James says, smiling slightly.

"Good morning, what would you say about breakfast?" I smile, continuing my way into the kitchen.

He follows me, and as I put the kettle on, he slumps down on a chair. "What would you like to eat?" I ask him, and he stands up coming towards me to look.

"I don't know really, but a toast with the tea would be fine." I nod, taking out bread, butter and cheese. We sit down to eat, and the rest of the breakfast goes smoothly.

After breakfast we decide to return to James' and Sirius's apartment. When arriving we get greeted by a high pitched roar.

"_Lily Evans! _Where have you been? How could you leave me this way? Is this what our friendship means to you?!" Marlene seems to be absolutely furious and I have absolutely no clue why. So, as the smooth witch I am, I just stand there dumbfounded by her greeting. Until, I hear Sirius starting to laugh.

"What on earth are you screaming about?" I ask her, "I am _sorry_ that I thought that leaving you here, with Sirius and Frank, would be safe." I give her my best you-haven't-got-a-thing-to-say-young-lady look to her, but she doesn't seem to catch it.

"Do you know how I was awakened this morning?" She sulks, "The 'safe' Sirius threw cold water on me!" I start laughing which, of course, makes her more angry.

Lowering her voice she grumbles to me "And don't you even think that I am going to forget to mention the fact that you showed up here with _Potter_." I blush slightly, but brush it off as I continue in to the flat.

"Hello Sirius. Hi Frank, how are you today?" greeting the other two makes me think less about what Marlene just said.

"I'm surprisingly fine, actually" Frank answers, "I think I'm good enough to go home, I bet Alice is really worried" witch a smile Frank stands up, says goodbye and disapparate.

The four of us sit down in the living room, chatting away. It feels so nice having Sirius and James here as I really have missed them, but I let that thought fade away as I listen to their adventures with the other two Marauders. But as the clock strikes 3.00 pm Marlene sits up straighter.

"Well, darlings, I really need to leave." she continues, "I know! Let's invite as many of our old Gryffindor room mates and eat dinner at our place!" We all agree to the plan, but before Marlene reaches the door James exclaims "Wait! I really need to go to the store, do you want me to keep you company on the way?" Marlene says okay, and they leave together.

Even with only me and Sirius left, we continue talking. The thing is that Sirius and I have been friends for a longer time than I and Potter. And it doesn't feel weird, our relationship resembles the one Remus and I share. So the fact that he knows a lot about me isn't that weird, even though I sometimes should keep my mouth shut.

"I have feelings for James" I say, and Sirius only looks mildly surprised at my confession.

"I assumed so. But what does that mean to you?" he asks, and I think about it. Firstly, I need to know if James has any of his feelings left for me. And secondly, I have to know if I'm ready for a relationship with anybody before I tell him.

"I guess it means a lot to me, but I think that I can control it of he doesn't feel the same way for me" I sigh, "Sorry, I shouldn't even have mentioned it." Sirius smiles at me.

"No, of course you can tell me. I won't tell Prongs if you don't want me to." he says calmly.

I give him a small smile, thankful for his promise not to tell James. I slump back into the armchair I've been sitting in, and exhale. Sirius stands up and gives me a big hug, patting my back.

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**A/N I know this chapter is quite short, but I promise to try making next one longer!  
I'd be so grateful if you could review, 'cause I really feel like I'd need some help from you guys!**


	3. Chapter 3, Surprise in the Night

**Hi! I'm sorry for posting this chapter so late! I've had so much to do lately but I'll try to be better! This chapter might seem a little out of place, and I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please please review, they make me so happy!**

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**Surprise in the night**

_Lily POV_

A couple of days after my confession to Sirius, Marlene apparates to my apartment. She seems to be well, and we small talk before I see the smug look on her face when we start talking about the marauders.

"Okay, what are you being so smug about, Marley?" I ask sceptically. She laughs and winks at me, before answering.

"Oh, only the fact that you can talk about our _dear _friend James Potter without throwing insults at him" I frown, but she continues, "_and_ the fact that I'm going to take you and Alice with me to the new night club in Diagon Alley."

I just stare at her, before the realization of what she's said hits me. I look baffled at her, but then I chuckle.

"You think you can drag both me and Alice to a _night club_ without her bringing Frank?" I laugh at her, but her smug face doesn't wipe away, and I'm starting to feel concerned.

"Of course not. That's why I invited James, Sirius and Remus. Poor Peter didn't have the opportunity to come." At the mention of Remus' name I light up and start nodding.

The following evening, Marlene, Alice and I gather in my apartment to make some final touches, Marlene in a red cocktail-y dress and high heels, her blond hair in loose curls, Alice in a backless silvery dress, a bow in her short dark hair and me in a navy blue knee length sun dress. We apparate to the new night club "The Dancing Hippogriff". Not bothering to wait for the boys outside, we walk in together and have a wonderful time laughing and dancing. When Alice sees the guys she waves at them, and we make our way to the booth they've found.

I can see that Sirius is appreciating the party dress Marlene's clad in, and Frank doesn't seem to mind the low back of Alice's. When I notice Remus, I squeak and run to him, throwing my arms around his neck.

"Remus! I'm so glad to meet you! I have missed you so much!" I say happily hugging him hard.

"Hi Lily, I've missed you too! Even though I think you're crushing my ribs" I can feel him laugh, and I hastily let go. I blush a bit, but continue smiling. He smiles at me too, but sits down again, gesturing me to sit down.

"Hello there" I can hear James say, and as I look at him I can see him smirking at me. I look at him, smiling, replying with a "hi". Sirius cracks a joke about James not getting a hug and I can feel my cheeks flame. But as I'm starting to retort the comment, I can feel somebody tugging at my hand.

"Come on now, Lils, you promised we would dance!" Marlene looks at me seriously, and I smile at her. Giving my apologies to the rest of the group I follow Marlene's giddy steps towards the crowded dance floor.

We dance, both seriously and crazily, and we laugh our asses of, but when I feel that I won't be able to dance any more, I excuse myself, walking to the bar.

After ordering a shot of Firewhisky and a tall glass of water, I turn around to look at the dance floor. I can see Sirius with Marlene enjoying themselves in the middle, dancing closely, and Frank and Alice dancing and laughing. When my gaze flickers towards the booth, I can see Remus and James talking calmly. I smile to myself, but when I suddenly feel an arm around my shoulders my smile fades, and I turn to face the intruder.

"Hello, my darling" a man with golden blonde hair says to me. I shrug his arm of my shoulders and answer him with my best you-better-not-be-messing-with-me-voice.

"I'm _not _your darling, random stranger, and could you please respect my personal area." He laughs, which makes me boil with anger. But I keep myself calm on the outside, staring at him.

"Hey, don't be cranky" he says, a smirk playing on his lips, "I just wanna make you feel good." I huff, taking a step away from him.

"I'm not interested." I say smoothly.

"Why?" he asks, only making me feel more irritated. But as I'm not intending to keep the conversation going I say.

"Because I have a boyfriend."

The man grins, and says with an arrogant tone,

"Oh really? Prove it."

Keeping my poker face on, I sweep down the Firewhisky, take my glass of water with me and start walking towards the booth. I can feel the man's presence behind me, but I continue walking.

Just before reaching the table I start feeling flustered, but decide on following my plan through. I walk up to James, who is know standing, and tap on his shoulder. He turns around, recognising me with a mixture of confusion and happiness on his face. I lean forward, whispering in his ear.

"_Please, play along_"

And then, I kiss him.

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_James POV_

The feeling of Lily's lips on mine is a wonderful sensation, but I soon realise that I haven't responded to her kiss. Tentatively I start kissing her back slowly, feeling her smile into the kiss. But as I feel her tongue graze my lips, my mind slips and I grab her forcefully around her waist and open my mouth slightly.

She lets a moan slip, and I feel like I'm in heaven, until Remus clears his throat making us aware of his presence.

We quickly part, and I can see Lily glancing behind her. But soon she concentrates on me and Remus again.

"I'm sorry," Remus begins, "But did I miss something very important during these weeks that I've been away at Peter's?" He grins slightly and I can see Lily blushing furiously.

"No, I'm really sorry, Remus, I just needed to show a random person that I wasn't interested in him." Lily says awkwardly, looking down at her feet.

I can't help smiling as I say, "Yeah, she actually whispered to me 'please, play along' _before_ she kissed me."

"But the fact that it was you she chose, and not me, is quite interesting indeed" Remus laughs, making Lily blush even more.

"Sorry Remus, I just... I ..." Lily starts saying, but as she doesn't seem to know how to explain she gives up. Remus gives her a warm smile and says,

"Don't apologize, Lily. I didn't take it as a insult, in fact, I'd probably freeze if you ever kissed _me_ like that without explanation." And I can't help the laugh bubbling in my throat, Lily slaps my arm, but I can see that she's not really mad at me laughing.

Soon, Sirius, Marlene, Frank and Alice return, and we easily fall back into the conversations again. But I just can't stop myself from glancing at Lily more often, feeling satisfied when she meets my gaze.

When we're about to leave, Marlene announces that she'd love to have us all on dinner tomorrow night, and we all agree on coming, even promising to check with Peter too.

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**A/N: so? what did you think? please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts, good or bad!**

**until next time!**


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